Little Main Street closing for two weeks for Hutchinson Square renovations

posted by Alexis Simmons, Reporter/MMJ -
Aug 21, 2018

SUMMERVILLE, SC (WCSC) -

Little Main Street in downtown Summerville will be closed for two weeks for repaving.

It's part of the $2.4 million renovations for Hutchinson Square.

Town leaders call it the heart of Summerville.

While businesses are still open, people are not able to park in front of them. Some workers have noticed less foot traffic on the street because people are parking in other areas.

Summerville resident Wayne Studemeyer rides his bike by the construction site everyday.

"It's a big mess right now. it's very dusty and I'm sure a lot of the merchants on this street are losing business," Studemeyer said.

He says he can see the progress.

"They're getting the job done," he said.

While the street is closed, there is still side side street parking and a nearby parking garage.

Some workers have removed their merchandise from the sidewalk because of all the dust in the air from the construction work.

Public Information Officer for the Town of Summerville, Mary Edwards, says construction is on time despite all the recent rain. She says they factored rain in the timeline.

"A lot of people have had the outlook as short-term loss long-term gain. So I think the town is working really hard and it's going to look good in the end," Edwards said.

The renovated Hutchinson Square will have more walkways, new landscaping, benches and a pavilion that could be used for a small concert or other events.

It will also have new parking patterns, lighting, a fountain and more.

Marie Gast owns Tip Tap Toe dance studio on Little Main and is looking forward to the improvements.

"We park on the side because people still want to come to dance. They still want to go to the coffee shop and they still want to go to the wine place. We just find somewhere else to park and go where we want to go," Gast said. "There's never a dull moment and it's always changing so we can actually see the changes as they are going on which is also exciting."

Gast says when opened, the area will be a great place for her to take her kids and a place where her dance student's siblings can play while they're in class.The improvements are expected to be completed in February of next year."I know everybody dislikes this big mess but in the long run we'll sit back and say it was all worth it," Gast said.

There are seasonal events that happen at the end of the year that include food trucks and festivities for the holidays.

Town officials says those events will still go on, but they will have to be modified to work around the construction.